Electro stimulation is a promising new way to address the human neurological systems, and can be exploited for a wide range of medical and non-medical applications such as for example pain-relief, galvanic vestibular stimulation, muscle stimulation, and sensory stimulation. Electro stimulation techniques are currently mostly used for medical treatment, under supervision of a qualified medical professional. However, a trend can be seen suggesting that electro stimulation may become a mainstream modality in other fields as well, where a qualified medical professional is not always available. Examples thereof are devices for home healthcare or devices for use with computer games.
GB 2424595 discloses a computer game accessory which connects to and receives digital instructions from a computer and as a result produces electrical pulses which are fed to pads attached to a players body for the purpose of producing electro stimulation to the players muscles thereby adding physical effects to the game experience. Such a device could be used to add physical effects to the game experience (e.g. if the player is shot in the game he could be exposed to electrical pulses to simulate pain) provided that a player attaches the pads on his body the way he is supposed to.
However, in a competitive computer game (e.g. online gaming) a participant may be tempted to cheat by avoiding or reducing the intended electro stimulation thereby unduly appropriate himself a competitive advantage. Furthermore, it is also obvious that improper use of electro stimulation may be harmful to the user. For example, electro stimulation of the heart may lead to heart failure.
Thus, in view of the above, an object of the invention is to prevent misuse of a device for electro stimulation of a user's body, and more specifically prevent tampering with the device.